Indian minister wins support of ‘super rich’ business persons

Sushma Swaraj invited the Indian entrepreneurs and Emirati investors to explore investing in India under the Make In India programme.

Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj with Indian business personalities. -Supplied photo

In her maiden state visit to the UAE, India’s Minister of External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs Sushma Swaraj won the support of 100 super rich Indians in the region for her new government’s initiatives back home.

Swaraj, who reached the UAE on Monday night, invited the Indian entrepreneurs and Emirati investors to explore investing in India under the Make In India programme recently launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On Tuesday, she made use of an interactive session in Abu Dhabi with select Emirati businessmen and senior economic decision makers for furthering bilateral investments.

At a Dubai reception hosted by the Indian Ambassador to the UAE T.P. Seetharam and Consul General of India in Dubai Anurag Bhushan, Swaraj highlighted the recently announced tax incentives for infrastructure and real estate investment trusts, and Modi government’s focus on growth with good governance and transparency with an eye on manufacturing, infrastructure and trade.

In a seemingly immediate reaction to the minister’s call, the movers and shakers among the Indian community in the region responded with a documented pledge to support Modi’s new initiatives, including the Clean India Campaign, at a private function on Wednesday in which Swaraj also released a book titled ‘Indian Super 100’. The book tells the success stories of the 100 most prominent Indian business leaders, professionals, and corporates in the Middle East and Africa region.

Boosting relations

Earlier on Tuesday, Swaraj held meetings with Lt-Gen Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the UAE, as well as her host, Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign Minister. They discussed matters of mutual interest including bilateral relations and developments in the region and international arena.

At her Dubai reception, Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister for Culture, Youth and Community Development, also spoke, appreciating the contributions made by the nearly 2.6million-strong Indian community in the UAE, which forms the largest expatriate community in the country.

Community fund

In Dubai, Swaraj announced an additional Dh500, 000 fund each for the Indian associations in Sharjah and Ajman from the Indian Community Welfare Fund. The amount will be used for the second phase of a crematorium in Sharjah and a community centre with a sports complex in Ajman. “The welfare of our nationals outside India, particularly in the Gulf region, is one of the top most priorities of our government. Our government, in collaboration with the state governments, has been proactively devising ways and means to address the concerns of our citizens living abroad. We are engaged with the UAE Government in continuous dialogue on various matters concerning our community here,” she said.

She also released a book on Indo-UAE trade by Dubai students. -sajila@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE